Senior Counsel, Data Privacy

Ancestry

23h • $164,000 - $205,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

When you join Ancestry, you join a human-centered company where every person’s story is important. Ancestry®, the global leader in family history, connects everyone with their past so they can discover, preserve, and share their unique family stories. With our unparalleled collection of more than 65 billion records, over 3.5 million subscribers, and over 27 million people in our growing DNA network, customers can discover their family story and gain a new level of understanding about their lives. Over the past 40 years, we’ve built trusted relationships with millions of people who have chosen us as the platform for discovering, preserving, and sharing the most important information about themselves and their families. We are committed to our location flexible work approach, allowing you to choose to work in the nearest office, from your home, or a hybrid of both (subject to location restrictions and roles that are required to be in the office- see the full list of eligible US locations HERE). We will continue to hire and promote beyond the boundaries of our office locations, to enable broadened possibilities for employee diversity. Together, we work every day to foster a work environment that's inclusive as well as diverse, and where our people can be themselves. Every idea and perspective is valued so that our products and services reflect the global and diverse clients we serve. Ancestry encourages applications from minorities, women, the disabled, protected veterans and all other qualified applicants. Passionate about dedicating your work to enriching people’s lives? Join the curious. Ancestry is seeking a Senior Counsel, Data Security & Governance to provide practical, business-focused legal guidance across data protection, information security, third-party risk, AI governance, and incident response. This role partners closely with Security, Privacy, Product, Engineering, Data Science, Procurement, and Compliance teams to support a risk-based governance program that protects our users and enables responsible growth.

Requirements

• Juris Doctor (JD) or equivalent law degree from an accredited institution
• Active bar membership in at least one U.S. jurisdiction
• 5+ years of relevant legal experience advising on privacy, data protection, cybersecurity, or technology matters
• Experience counseling cross-functional teams in fast-paced, technology-driven environments
• Strong judgment, communication skills, and ability to deliver practical guidance under ambiguity
• Experience working with highly sensitive personal data
• Familiarity with information security and governance frameworks (e.g., ISO, NIST, SOC 2)
• Experience supporting incident response, regulatory engagement, or AI governance initiatives

Responsibilities

• Advise on global data protection, data governance, and cybersecurity requirements applicable to Ancestry’s products, services, and internal operations
• Partner with Information Security to support governance of security programs and frameworks aligned with industry standards (e.g., ISO, NIST, SOC 2)
• Provide legal oversight for third-party risk management, including vendor privacy and security reviews, risk assessments, and contractual protections
• Support product, engineering, and data science teams with privacy-by-design and security-by-design guidance throughout the product lifecycle
• Advise on legal, governance, and risk considerations related to AI and machine learning, including responsible use and impact assessments
• Serve as legal counsel for security incidents and data breaches, including assessment, escalation, notification obligations, and remediation support
• Review, assess, and respond to law enforcement, government, and regulatory requests for access to data
• Draft, review, and maintain data security, governance, and related policies, standards, and guidance
• Collaborate with cross-functional partners to operationalize governance requirements and drive consistent practices across the company
• Monitor and interpret evolving privacy, cybersecurity, data governance, and AI-related laws, regulatory guidance, and enforcement trends
• Travel occasionally on an as-needed basis.

Benefits

• We offer excellent benefits and a competitive compensation package.
• As a signatory of the ParityPledge in Support of Women and the ParityPledge in Support of People of Color, Ancestry values pay transparency and pay equity.
• We are pleased to share the base salary range for this position: $164,000 - $205,000 with eligibility for bonus, equity and comprehensive benefits including health, dental and vision.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree